Sanitary napkin with attachment means and method of making



C. G. JOA

Sept. 19, 19 7 SANITARY NAPKIN WITH ATTACHMENT MEANS AND METHOD OF MAKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 13, 1964 INVENTOR. C027- 6-. Jam

BY W, wym

ArrOP/VEYS Sept. 19, 1967 C. G. JOA

SANITARY NAPKIN WITH ATTACHMENT MEANS AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Jan. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q Q a "Q I T E J, 1} M Q A N 1-. i

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United States Patent 3,342,184 SANITARY NAPKIN WITH ATTACHMENT MEANS AND METHOD OF MAKING Curt G. Joa, Ocean Ridge, Fla. (Box 1121, Boyton Beach, Fla. 33435) Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,353 7 Claims. (Cl. 128--290) This invention relates to improvements in sanitary napkins.

In my United States Patent 2,481,929 a sanitary napkin with anchorage loops is disclosed. These loops, however, are attached by an uneconomical hand operation and this has militated against the use of such napkins.

In accordance with the present invention, fastening means, such as knots or loops or lumps, are provided in the end tabs of the napkin as part of a reinforcing strip which is within the napkin wrapper. Hand operations are eliminated by preforming on a machine a continuous reinforcing strip with loops, knots, etc. and then feeding the continuous reinforcing strip into the wrapper strip concurrently with fabrication of the napkin.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a sanitary napkin embodying the present invention attached to a support belt.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a sanitary napkin embodying one form of the present invention.

FIGURE .3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a still further modified embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 5 is a view of a continuous reinforcing strip prefabricated with knots and loops in spaced relation therealong.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a process for fabricating napkins according to the present invention.

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto.

Any conventional sanitary napkin construction is adapted for modification in accordance with the present invention. My prior United States patent application Ser. No. 249,367, filed Jan. 4, 1963, shows an example of a sanitary napkin with a relatively weak, but soft, nonwoven outer wrapper having a relatively strong reinforcing strip disposed longitudinally therein. Napkins embodying the present invention may have a similar construction and include an outer relatively weak wrapper 10, a filler pad 11 and a relatively strong reinforcing strip 12. The wrapper 10 extends beyond the ends of the pad 11 to form end tabs 13.

In accordance with the present invention, the reinforcing strip 12 is provided with lumps, generically indicated at 14 in FIGURE 6, such as the knot 18, loop 16, heat sealing lumps 17, etc., disposed in the end tabs 13 and which provide fastening means which may be engaged through the clips which are conventionally provided on support belt 19, as shown in FIGURE 1. Accordingly, the napkin end tabs 13 are inherently provided with fastening means which coact with the clips 15 on the support belt, without requiring the use of pins, etc.

The exact mode of producing the lumps 14 is broadly immaterial. Several different techniques are herein illustrated. In FIGURE 2, the lumps are provided by knotting the reinforcing strip 12 at 18. In FIGURE 4, the lumps are provided by forming the strip 12 into loops 16. The bight of the loop is open and its neck may be sealed by the machine application of a spot 17 of polyethylene plastic material.

FIGURE 3 shows another alternative in which a loop 16 is formed by simply knotting the strip 12 at 18, thus providing both a knot 18 and a loop 16. Access to the loop 16 in either of the embodiments shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is gained by opening the end tab at its extreme end 21.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate novel procedures for providing napkins with a reinforcing strip having lumps, knots, loops, etc. The reinforcing strip 12 is prefabricated in continuous form with knots 18 and loops 16. Alternatively, the strip 12 could be formed simply with knots 18, as shown in FIGURE 2, or with loops 16, only, as shown in FIGURE 4.

As shown in FIGURE 6, such a continuous strip 12 may be stored on a spool 22. A sanitary napkin can be formed as shown in my copending application aforesaid, in which the wrapper strip 10 is fed from a spool 23 over a conveyor 24. The filler pads 11 are fed in the direction of arrow 25 into the tube formed by folding the wrapper 10 around the filler pads and the reinforcing strip 12 with lumps 14 is fed concurrently into the tube with the lumps 14 so related to the filler pads 11 as to fall in the gaps 26 between adjacent pads 11. A polyethylene bead of sealing material may be injected by the nozzle 27 as shown in my copending application aforesaid and in my application Ser. No. 95,767.

Wrapper strip 10 may now be severed through the gaps and between adjacent lump 14 by the cooperating knife 28 and anvil 29 on the rotary wheels 31, 32, thus to subdivide the wrapper strip into discrete napkins having end tabs with lumps therein.

If desired, I may also provide the wheels 31, 32 with heat sealing dies 33, 34 to heat seal the lump against the end tabs in a zone or area 35 as shown in FIGURE 2.

As is clear from FIGURE 5 the lumps are spaced along the strip 12 properly so that they may be synchronized with the filler pad feeder so that there will be two lumps in each gap between the pads in the wrapper tube 10, thus to provide one lump at each end of each napkin.

By feeding the reinforcing strip 12 in a continuous strip, as above noted, the napkins embodying the present invention can be made on existing napkin fabricating machines without extensive modification thereof.

I claim:

1. The method of fabricating a sanitary napkin having end tabs with lumps therein and comprising the steps of feeding a strip of wrapper material, feeding pads onto said material strip in spaced relation to leave gaps between said pads, feeding a reinforcing strip with preformed lumps spaced along the strip a distance equal to the spacing of the gaps to feed the strip onto said material with the lumps in said gaps, forming the wrapper strip around the pads and reinforcing strip, and severing said wrapper strip across said gaps to subdivide it into discrete napkin portions having end tabs with lumps therein, plus the preliminary step of preforming the reinforcing strip with knots spaced along its length to constitute said lumps.

2. The method of fabricating a sanitary napkin having end tabs with lumps therein and comprising the steps of feeding a strip of wrapper material, feeding pads onto said material strip in spaced relation to leave gaps between said pads, feeding a reinforcing strip with preformed lumps onto said material with the lumps in said gaps, forming the wrapper strip around the pads and reinforcing strip, and severing said wrapper strip across said gaps to subdivide it into discrete napkin portions having end tabs with lumps therein, plus the preliminary step of preforming the reinforcing strip with loops spaced along its entire length to constitute said lumps.

3. The method of fabricating a sanitary napkin having end tabs with lumps therein and comprising the steps of feeding a strip of wrapper material, feeding pads onto said material strip in spaced relation to leave gaps between said pads, feeding a reinforcing strip with preformed lumps onto said material with the lumps in said gaps, forming the wrapper strip around the pads and reinforcing strip, and severing said wrapper strip across said gaps to subdivide it into discrete napkin portions having end tabs with lumps therein, plus the preliminary step of preforming the reinforcing strip with knots and loops spaced along its length to constitute said lumps.

4. A sanitary napkin comprising a pad, a wrapper about the pad and which has end tabs extending beyond the pad, a reinforcing strip within the wrapper and extending from one end tab to the other, and fastening knots formed in said strip in the respective end tabs.

5. A sanitary napkin comprising a pad, a wrapper about the pad and which has end tabs extending beyond the pad, a reinforcing strip within the wrapper and extending from one end tab to the other, and fastening loops formed in said strip in the respective end tabs.

6. A sanitary napkin comprising a pad, a wrapper about the pad and which has end tabs extending beyond the pad, a reinforcing strip within the wrapper and extending from one end tab to the other, and fastening loops and knots formed in said strip in the respective end tabs.

7. A sanitary napkin comprising a pad, a wrapper about the pad and which has end tabs extending beyond the pad, a reinforcing strip within the wrapper and extending from one end tab to the other, and fastening loops with a spot of plastic on the neck of said loops formed in said strip in the respective end tabs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,262,275 11/ 1941 F-ourness et al 128-.29O 2,578,664 12/1951 Beery et al. 1287290 2,773,503 12/1956 Brownlee et al. 128290 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,370 1904 Great Britain. 140,202 3/1920 Great Britain. 495,366 11/1938 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF FABRICATING A SANITARY NAPKIN HAVING END TABS WITH LUMPS THEREIN AND COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FEEDING A STRIP OF WRAPPER MATERIAL, FEEDING PADS ONTO SAID MATERIAL STRIP IN SPACED RELATION TO LEAVE GAPS BETWEEN SAID PADS, FEEDING A REINFORCING STRIP WITH PREFORMED LUMPS SPACED ALONG THE STRIP A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE SPACING OF THE GAPS TO FEED THE STRIP ONTO SAID MATERIAL WITH THE LUMPS IN SAID GAPS, FORMING THE WRAPPER STRIP AROUND THE PADS AND REINFORCING STRIP, AND SEVERING SAID WRAPPER STRIP ACROSS SAID GAPS TO SUBDIVIDE IT INTO DISCRETE NAPKIN PORTIONS HAVING END TABS WITH LUMPS THEREIN, PLUS THE PRELIMINARY STEP OF PREFORMING THE REINFORCING STRIP WITH KNOTS SPACED ALONG ITS LENGTH TO CONSTITUTE SAID LUMPS.
 4. A SANITARY NAPKIN COMPRISING A PAD, A WRAPPER ABOUT THE PAD AND WHICH HAS END TABS EXTENDING BEYOND 